Public (or government) grants are funded from tax dollars. The private foundation grants use the money as a tax write-off. You can qualify for government grants if you are an American citizen or a legal resident. You must fill out an application. The government does not check your credit history or credit reports, nor does it ask for collateral, security deposits or co-signers. You can apply even if you are bankrupt or have bad credit. The best part is that it never has to be paid back. It's free money---and you decide how much and what you need it for. This is ideal for college students. But, there are some strings attached besides the citizen or legal resident requirements: What you want the grant for must be legal; the amount must be a legal amount; and it must meet the foundation's or government's criteria.
There are several types of grants available in many categories including individuals, small businesses, education, college, minority groups, housing and veterans. You can apply for more than one grant at a time and as many as you want.
Grants.biz states that the U.S. government has given billions of dollars in grants to people and businesses every month of each year---and the U.S. government funded 1.5 trillion dollars in 2009. There are over 1,400 federal programs, 24,000 state programs and 20,000 scholarship programs available.
There are over 30,000 private foundations, millions of private foundation grants and over 100 billion dollars available from nonprofit organizations. Private foundations are required by law to give 5 percent of their assets every year or they will lose their nonprofit status. Foundation grants are offered by organizations for people with particular needs, such as paying for college.
Websites such as Grants.biz says it will show you how to get grants from the government and from nonprofit organizations, how to apply, what types are available, through state and federal agencies and local organizations, how to write a grant and how to fill out an application. (See Resource section.)